Separate end-turn rotorventilation



Sept. 22, 1953 R.V A. BAUDRY ET AL SEPARATE END-TURN RoToR-VENTILATION Filed July 2e, 1952 rvrvrrv?! unrrnrnnaf AdnrfrrdA lvilill Irfln s zal md, Figa l INVENTORS Rene A.Boudry ond Poul R. Heller.

WITNESSES: //T

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ATTORNEY Sept. 22, `1953 R. A. BAUDRY ET AL 2,653,255

SEPARATE END-TURN ROTOR-VENTILATION Filed July 26, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 OO OOOO L OOO OO wlTNEssEs: 2e 27 s 25 54 33 24 Y 2s 3o 3 ,'NV ENT0RS 3| 44 44 Rene ALBoudry WLMfKf/f Fig 4 und Pou|R.Heur.

ATTORNEY MMM,

sept. 22, 1953 R. A. BAUDRY ET AL SEPARATE END-TURN ROTOR-VENTILATION Filed July 26. 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 22, 1953 UNITED STAT Si PATENT OFFICE SEPARATE END-TURN ROTOR- VENTILATION tion of Pennsylvania Application July 26, 1952, Serial No. 301,073

(Cl. S10-64) 6 Claims. l

Our invention relates to turbine generators or other synchronous dynamo-electric machines of the type having a solid, cylindrical-core, rotormember carrying a distributed, concentric-coil, field-winding of the hollow-conductor type. Most of such machines are hydrogen-cooled. Most turbine generators are two-pole synchronous machines, although our invention may be applicable also to machines having .a larger polenumber, such as four or more.

The `rating of such a rotor-winding is dependent upon the length of the coil and upon the mass of the gas flowing through the ducts. As the length increases, the total heat which is dissipated from the conductor to the cooling-gas also increases, making the exit-gas hotter, While the greater gas-friction tends to reduce the flow. As a result, the 12R losses per unit length of the coil must be reduced, as the length increases, in order to maintain a given maximum temperature in the conductor. For example, a hollowconductor rotor-coil having a duct-length of 120 inches will have a rating of only something like 80% of the rating of a coil having a, duct-length of 80 inches, other conditions being equal.

In such a machine, having (for example) a rotor of 3'7 inches in diameter, and Ihaving a halfcorelength of 80 inches, the last end-turn, or the end-winding portion of the outer coil of each pole, will add approximately an additional 45 inches to the coil-length that must be cooled, making a total length of 125 inches. On shorter machines, the ratio of end-turn length to |halfcorelength will be greater. Gn longer machines, the increased length of the ducts within the hollow rotor-conductors will make a reduction of the total duct-length more imperative, because the duct-length imposes rapidly increasing reductions in the rotor-rating, as the length increases more and more. Consequently, if the end-turns of the hollow-conductor rotor-windings voi turbine generators can be cooled separately from the slot-lying coil side portions, an appreciable gain can be realized in the rotorrating.

Our invention relates to means for achieving the aforesaid separating cooling of the end-turns of the rotor-windings of turbine generators.

A simplified and somewhat diagrammatically indicated machine is shown in the accompanying drawing, by way of example, embodying our invention in a form which is intended to be illustrative of the general principles of our invention, in one illustrative form of embodiment, without making any attempt at depicting an lll exact-scale Working-drawing of a complete machine. In the drawing,

Figure 1 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view of an illustrative machine embodying our invention, the section-plane passing through a point near the center-line of a rotorpole, as indicated by the line I-I in Figs. 3 and 4.

Fig. 2 is a similar view of a different portion of such a machine, the section-plane passing through the outer coil-sides of one of the poles of the rotor member, as indicated by the line II-II in Fig. 3,

Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line III-III in Figs. l and 2,

Fig. 4 is a developed underview, shown as a cylindrical section, looking outwardly from the surface of a cylinder which is indicated at IV-IV in Figs. 1, 2 and 3,

Fig. 5 is a developed section through a portion of the outer rotor-coil, shown as if it is straightened out, to show the path of the backwardlyflowing end-winding cooling-gas, as seen on the curved section-line V-V in Fig. 4,

Fig. 6 is a developed underview, similar to Fig. 4, showing a modication using laterally vented hollow conductors, and

Fig. 7 is a detailed side elevation of a portion of one of the laterally vented hollow conductors of Fig. 6.

We have illustrated our invention as being applied to a 2-pole synchronous dynamo-electric machine, comprising a stationary armaturemember 'I and Aa rotating field-member 8 having an airgap 9 therebetween. 'I'he rotating fieldmember, as shown in Fig. 3, includes a shaft II, a cylindrical rotor-core I2 having winding-receiving rotor-slots I3, and a distributed, hollowconducto-r, direct-current field-winding, each pole of the eld-winding comprising a plurality of concentric coils, 2| to 28, spanning an unslotted pole-center portion 29 of the rotorcore I2.

The concentric rotor-coils 2| to 28 are shown, for the sake of simplicity, as having only four turns each, except for the two innermost coils 2| and 22 of each pole, which have three turns each, it being understood, however, that usually a larger number of turns per coil will be used. These rotor-coils 2| to 28 have straight slot-lying hollow-conductor coil-side portions 30, which lie within the respective rotor-slots I3. The coils also have end-windings 3| which extend out beyond the ends of the rotor-core I2, and which have underspaces 32 thereunder, that is, between the respective end-windings 3| and the rotorshait I I at the respective ends of the rotor-member il. Each of the end-windings 3|, at the respective ends of the field-member, includes both axially and circumferentially extending hollowconductor end-winding portions, as indicated at 33 and 34, respectively, spaced by end-blocking pieces 35. In accordance with a common practice, each of the end-windings 3|, at the respective ends of the rotor-member 8, is held in place by a retaining ring 36, which is secured to the end of the rotor-core I2, in such position as to surround its end-windings 3| at that end of the rotor-member.

Gas-circulating means must fbe provided, tor providing a pressurized gas-chamber beyond at least one end, and preferably both ends, of the field-member 8. Such a pressurized chamber is shown at 31 in Fig. 1, and the high gaseous pressure therein is produced by means of a fan 38 which is carried by the rotor-.shaft II, said fan being surrounded by a suitable vshroud or partition-member 39. As shown in our copending application on Generator Cooling, Serial No. 282,982, filed `April ,18, 1952, the stator member 'l is provided with an airgap-bale 40 also shown, which surrounds the retaining ring .36, for preventing an excessive loss of pressure from said pressurized chamber 31 to the airgap 9.

As shown in Fig. 4, the underspace 32, under each of the rotor end-windings 3|, is provided with axially and circumferentially extending partition-means 4| and 42, for separating said underspace 32 into a plurality of different jparts. In

particular, under the circumferentially extending hollow-conductor end-winding portions 34, which lie in alignment with the unslotted pole-center portion 29 of each rotor-pole, the aforesaid partition-members 4I and 42 provide a partitionedoff gas-discharging end-winding underspace 43, it being Vunderstood that there is one lsuch partitioned-oi'f underspace 43 for each ofthe two poles of the rotor-member 8.. `Except for these partitioned-oil pole-center underspaces 43, the underspace 32 underneath the .end-windings 3| serves as an Aintake-space, in communication with the high-pressure chamber `8l, for admitting the cooling gas which is needed for cooling the hollow conductors or the rotor-coils 2| to 28.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 4, the axially extending end-winding portion 33, of each of the axiallyextending hollow-conductor Vheld-winding coils 2| to 28, except sometimes the innermost coil or coils 2| and 22, is provided with gas-inlet holes d4, disposed at points near that end of the rotor.- core I2, for providing a communication from the unpartitioned underspace `or intake-space 32 into the hollow portions or ducts of the several hollow conductors. The cooling-gas which thus enters into the hollow conductors of the outermost rotorcoils 23 to 28 thereupon divides, part of it flowing forwardly, to cool the straight coil-side portions 30, as far as the center line of the machine, while the other part of the cooling gas flows backwardly, for cooling the end-windings 3|.

The forwardly `flowing gas-stream, flowing in the coil-side portions 30 of the rotor-conductors, is discharged, near the center line 45 of the machine, through a first outlet vent-means, in the form of outlet-holes 46 (Fig. 2), which open from the ducts of the hollow conductors into the airgap 9 at the middle or intermediate portion of the rotor-core I2. The backwardly flowing gasstream, flowing in the end-windings V3| of the rotor-conductors, is vented by a Vsecond outlet vent-means, including outlet-holes 48 (Figs. 1 and 4), which open from the circumferentially extending hollow-conductor end-winding portions 34 into the partitioned-off gas-discharging end-winding under-spaces 43 for the respective poles of the rotor-member 8. This second outlet vent-means, starting with the holes 48, also includes means for providing gas-flow from said partitioned-Oil? pole-center underspace 43 to the airgap as by means of notches 49 cut in the unslotted pole-center portion 2S of the rotor-core I`2, as shown in Figs. 1, 3 and di.

In many machines, including the one which has been chosen for illustration, the innermost coils 2| and 22 of the held-winding may have endwinding portions 3| which arel too short to admit of the separate end-winding cooling which has just been described, and their axially extending end-winding portions 35 may be too short to admit of the provision of a surlicient number of gas-inlet holes `44 therein. `These innermost coils 2| and .22, however, commonly have a smaller number of turns Der coil, than the rest of the coils 23 to 28, ci the rotor-winding. In accordance with one feature of our invention, therefore, we have taken advantage of these circumstances to provide the eircumferentially extending hollow-conductor end-winding portions 34 of said inner coil or coils 2| and 22 with gas-inlet holes 54, as shown in Fig. 1. Underneath these circumie-rentially extending end-winding portions 34, of said inner coils 2| and 22, we provide an openended gas-inlet tube-forming member, shown as a Vchannel-member 55, which extends circumferentially across the partitioned-off pole-center underspace 43, `disposed under the circumferentially extending end-winding `portion 34 of the bottom turn of each of the innermost coils 2| and 22, as shown in Fig. 4. Thus, both ends of this gas-inlet tube 55 are open, and in free communication with the unpartitioned intake-underspace 32. This gas-inlet tube 55 is provided with a hole or holes 56, shown as the open top of the channel 55, which communicates with the gasinlet holes 54 of the associated `inner concentric coil or coils 2| and 22.

The `operation of our invention will be obvious from the foregoing description. Fig. 5 shows a detail of the path of the backwardly ilowing endwinding cooling-gas, while Fig. 2 shows the path of the forwardly ilowing gas-stream which cools the `straight coil-side portions of all except the two innermost coils 2| and 22. The cooling of these innermost coils 2| and 22 is clearly shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 4, whereby gas enters from the intake-underspace 32, into the tube or channelmembers 55 and thence into the gas-inlet holes 54 in the centers of the end-windings 3| of these two innermost coils 2| and 22, said gas being discharged from said two innermost coils 2| and 22 into the airgap 9, at or near the center line 45 of the machine in a manner similar to thatwhich is depicted for the outermost coil-side in Fig. 2.

It will thus be seen that we have `provided an eiective means for reducing the length of the hollow-conductor ducts through which the rotor` cooling-gas must pass, thereby increasing the effectiveness of the rotor-cooling, and consequently increasing the rating of the rotor-members of our turbine generators. It will further be seen that we have done this without, in any way, weakening or impairing the mechanical strength of the retainingr yring 36, which is necessary to resist the high centrifugal forces of the rotormembers of these large, high-speed machines.

Instead of'using hollowrotor-winding conductors having their inlet and outlet vent-holes V44,

46 and 48 in their horizontal side-walls, as shown in Figs.l 1-5, the conductor-vents could be formed in the vertical side-walls of the hollow conductors, as shown at 51 in Figs. 6 and '7. In this case, the end-blocking pieces 35 would be grooved to provide ducts 58 leading tothe laterally placed vent-holes 51 of the hollow conductors.

While we have illustrated our invention in only two very much simplied exemplary forms of embodiment, We wish it to be understood that we are not limited to the precise illustrated details.

We claim as our invention:

1. A synchronous dynamo-electric machine comprising a stationary armature-member and a rotating iield-rnember having an airgap therebetween, said rotating held-member including a shaft, a cylindrical rotor-core having windingreceving rotor-slots, and a distributed hollowconductor direct-current field-winding, each pole of the field-Winding comprising a plurality of concentric coils spanning the pole-center, said concentric coils having slot-lying hollow-conductor coil-side portions lying within the respective rotor-slots, and having end-windings having spaces thereunder, between the respective end-windings and the field-member shaft at the respective ends of the rotating field-member, each of said end-windings, at the respective ends of the field-member, including both axially and circumferentially extending hollow-conductor end-winding portions, disposed outside of the rotor-core at the respective ends of said rotorcore, said field-member further including retainy ing rings surrounding the respective end-windings of the held-winding, means for blowing a cooling gas axially into an intake-space under at least one of said retaining-rings, at at least one end of the field-member, and under the endwinding portion at that end of the rotor-core, gas-inlet means for admitting the cooling gas from said intake-space into each of the hollow conductors of the field-winding at that end of the field-member, said gas-inlet means including gas-inlet holes disposed in the hollow conductors, a plurality of said gas-inlet holes being in axially extending hollow-conductor end-winding portions at points near that end of the rotorcore, a first outlet vent-means, including holes opening into said airgap from said hollowconductor coil-side portions at an intermediate portion of the rotor-core, for venting a forwardly flowing portion of said cooling gas after it has blown partially through said slot-lying hollow-conductor coil-side portions of the fieldwinding, and a second outlet vent-means, including outlet-holes opening from circumferentially extending hollow-conductor end-winding portions for providing gas-flow to said airgap, for venting a backwardly flowing portion of said cooling gas after it has blown partially through at least some of said end-winding portions of the field-winding at the same intake-end of the eldmember at which the cooling gas was introduced tions Vof the rotor-core, for venting said partitioned-off gas-discharging underspaoes to the airgap, said outlet-holes in said circumferentially extending hollow-conductor end-winding portions being in communication with the respective partitioned-off gas-discharging underspaces.

3. The invention as dened in claim 2, characterized by the inner concentric coil or coils of each rotor-pole having fewer turns than the other coils, and having gas-inlet holes in the circumferentially extending hollow-conductor end-winding portions of said inner concentric coil or coils of each rotor-pole at the intakeend of the rotor-core, in combination with an open-ended gas-inlet tube-forming member extending circumferentially across each partitioned-oi gas-discharging end-winding underspace of the rotor-member, each gas-inlet tube being disposed under the circumferentally extending hollow-conductor end-winding portion of the bottom turn or turns of its inner concentric coil or coils, said gas-inlet tubes having a hole or holes communicating with the gas-inlet holes of its associated inner concentric coil or coils.

4. A synchronous dynamo-electric machine comprising a stationary armature-member and a rotating field-member having an airgap therebetween, said rotating field-member including a shaft, a cylindrical rotor-core having windingreceiving rotor-slots, and a distributed hollowconductor direct-current field-winding, each pole of the field-winding comprising a plurality of concentric coils spanning the pole-center, said concentric coils having slot-lying hollow-conductor coil-side portions lying within the respective rotor-slots, and having end-windings having spaces thereunder, between the respective end-windings and the held-member shaft at the respective ends of the rotating field-member, each of said end-windings, at the respective ends of the field-member, including both axially and circumferentially extending hollow-conductor end-winding portions, disposed outside of the rotor-core at the respective ends of said rotorcore, said field-member further including retaining rings surrounding the respective end-windings of the held-winding, means for blowing a cooling gas axially into an intake-space under each of said retaining-rings and under their` respective end-windings, gas-inlet means for admitting the cooling-gas from each of said intakespaces into each of the hollow conductors of the field-winding at that end of the eld-rnember, said gas-inlet means including gas-inlet holes disposed in the hollow conductors, a plurality of said gas-inlet holes being in axially extending hollow-conductor end-winding portions at points near that end of the rotor-core, a first outlet vent-means, including holes opening into said airgap from said hollow-conductor coil-side portions at an intermediate portion of the rotorcore, for venting a forwardly flowing portion of said cooling gas after it has blown partially through said slot-lying hollow-conductor coilside portions of the field-winding, and a second outlet vent-means, including outlet-holes opening from circumferentially extending hollowconductor end-winding portions for providing gas-flow to said airgap, for venting a backwardly flowing portion of said cooling gas after it has blown partially through at least some of said end-winding portions of the field-winding at the particular intake-end of the field-member at which that backwardly owing `cooling `gels was introduced into the hollow conductors.

5. The invention as defined in claim 4, characterized by said second outlet vent-means including partitioning-means, disposed under the circumferentially extending hollow-conductor end-Winding portions at each end of the rotorcore, for providing a plurality of partitioned-off gas-discharging end-winding Vunderspetces at each end, gas-flow passages, disposed within the respective polecenter portions of the rotor-core, for venting said partitioned-01T gas-discharging underspaces to the eirgap, said outlet-holes in said circumferentially extending hollow-conductor end-winding portions being in communication with the respective partitioned-off gas-discharging underspaces.

6. The invention as defined in claim `5, characterized by the inner concentric coil or coils of each rotor-pole having fewer turns than the other coils, and having gas-inlet holes in the circumferentially extending hollow-conductor end-winding portions of said inner concentric coil or coils of each rotor-,pole at each inteke-v end of the 4rotor-core, in combination with an open-ended gas-inlet tube-forming member extending circumferentially across earch partitioned-off gas-discharging end-Winding underspace of the rotor-member, each gas-inlet tube being disposed under the circumferentially extending hollow-conductor end-winding portion of the bottom turn or turns of its inner .concentric coil or coils, said gas-inlet tubes having holes communicating with the gas-inlet holes of its `associated inner concentric .coil or coils. REN A. BAUDRY. PAUL R. HELLER.

No references cited. 

